July 14, 1997
What your browser doesn't tell you might hurt you
By Bob O'Donnell
New versions of Web browsers seem to reach the marketplace every few months, and all of
them come complete with a plethora of "important" new features. From WYSIWIG
HTML e-mail packages to the latest content "push" mechanisms, today's browsers
are a far cry from the early versions of Mosaic.
Some of these improvements are quite nice, but I think both Netscape and Microsoft are
leaving a gaping hole in their respective feature sets. What's missing from both
Communicator/Navigator and Internet Explorer is any type of performance monitoring.
Anyone who spends a lot of time on the net knows that slow performance and inadequate
connections are very common occurrences. In fact, according to a study done by Georgia Tech University,
speed is the No. 1 concern of people who browse the net. Yet today's newest browsers offer
very little insight into the quality and speed of your Web connections.
Until recently, I was willing to cut the vendors some slack, figuring that this kind of
information simply wasn't available. I thought that the simple messages displayed in the
browser's status bar at the bottom left corner of the screen were all you could see. After
installing and using Vital Signs' impressive NetMedic
Internet performance utility, however, I've realized how much information is actually
available and how deficient today's browsers really are. NetMedic offers a wealth of
eye-opening information about site performance, ISP, computer, modem, and even overall
Internet performance, including the status of your connection, its distance, and its
speed.
NetMedic even offers a handy feature that lets you tack one of its performance panes
onto your browser so you can monitor different aspects of your Internet connection as you
surf. Once I tried out this feature, it became obvious to me that this type of feedback
should be standard with any Web browser. As we all start to depend on the Web more and
more each day, having regular access to this kind of connection and performance
information is critical.
In addition to the quantity of data that NetMedic provides, I was also impressed with
its quality. I was amazed to see how often NetMedic informed me that a connection to a
particular site had been stalled or dropped, yet the browser's measly attempt at feedback
kept saying that it was "Waiting for a reply ..."
On the one hand, these features are a testament to the excellent work done by
VitalSigns: NetMedic is a well-designed, well-executed product. Still, some of its
capabilities are so critical to everyday Web work that I think many of its functions
should be built into the major browsers. All Web users can and should benefit from the
type of information NetMedic provides.
Even if the browser manufacturers did incorporate performance-monitoring functions into
their products, there would still be a need for a product like NetMedic. VitalSigns'
package offers much more, including the ability to AutoCure common configuration problems
and to notify Web sites and ISPs of documented performance issues.
Ultimately, it boils down to a question of priorities. Instead of focusing on the
questionable bells and whistles being tacked onto today's browsers, I think Microsoft and
Netscape should focus on implementing or extending basic bread-and-butter features, such
as performance monitoring and feedback, that can benefit everyone. Then, instead of
waiting for replies that are never going to come, we can all get on with our business.
©
Copyright 1997, by InfoWorld Publishing Corp., a
subsidiary of IDG Communications, Inc. Reprinted from InfoWorld,
155 Bovet Road, San Mateo, CA 94402. Further reproduction is prohibited.
